Sunday, November 16, 2008

I am reading this book called The Godmother by Carrie Adams. I decided to read it because I too am a godmother. I am the godmother to 4 of my nieces and my nephew. I am about half way through the book and I am enjoying it very much. Tessa is the main character. There is a part in the book when Tessa's best friend, Claudia, miscarriages. She is with her when it happens. The author describes what happens and it brought back so many feelings and memories. The hemorrhaging in the bathroom, blood everywhere in the bathroom, on her bed, on the carpet. It just made me think of when I miscarried. Everything that happened to Claudia happened to me. She went to the hospital, she had a D&C, etc. Claudia tells Tessa she just feels empty. Tessa describes how she cleaned everything up while Claudia was in the hospital and needed to have it all cleaned up before she got home. How she was scrubbing to get all the blood out. My mom was Tessa. When I was in the hospital my mom came to my house and cleaned everything. It was amazing what she did. I can only imagine the pain she felt when she was doing it. I didn't really think about it till now. Tessa describes how she feels as she is cleaning. The sadness she feels too and how she is just trying to get everything clean so Claudia doesn't have to see it all. When Claudia comes home they describe how she just sleeps. She is on medication to help her sleep and forget about what happened. I wasn't that lucky. They didn't give me some pills to make me sleep and forget about all that happened. I was left with the raw feelings and just making myself sleep to try to forget that I was no longer pregnant.In the book Claudia's husband Al tells Tessa that he wants to take her away and sell the house and start fresh. No reminders.I think that is where my husband and I are at. We sold the condo and want to start fresh. The stains are all out in the carpet but the memory is still there for me. I still see bright red on the bathroom floors, on the carpet and in the toilet. I can't help but think that this is where I lost my second baby.We are packing to move on, start fresh, make happier memories in our new house.I am looking forward to that. I no longer want to see red.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

I have been thinking of my babies lately. Its been kind of tough lately. I am supposed to be big as a house now. Instead my stomach is somewhat flat. It saddens me. I am constantly being reminded that I am not pregnant. On Monday night at the gym I teach at I took a class before I taught my spin class. Right in front of me was a lady, she is due in January. I was due in January too with my second. I just couldn't help but stare at her big round belly and watch her trying to move around on the mat doing leg lifts and stretches. I just kept on thinking, "I should be like that now too." "Why is her baby surviving and mine didn't?" "What did she do differently?"

Then yesterday while packing up my house I was emptying my bureau. In my top drawer was my ultrasound picture. I was 5 weeks, 4 days. My baby died at about 6 weeks. It didn't look like much, just a blob of gum, but it was my baby. The baby's heart was beating then. I wish I could relive that day and the joy I felt watching the little heart beat on the ultrasound screen.I am trying to stay strong and trying to not dwell on things that can not be, but its so hard. With the holidays approaching its very hard. I think I was supposed to have a baby now or I was supposed to be almost due now.

I feel like there are reminders around me everyday reminding me how I am not having a baby now. How am I supposed to heal if I am constantly being reminded?

Friday, November 7, 2008

We are moving to New Hampshire on the 14Th of November!I am so happy. I feel like this is a good change. I am not completely excited yet. I have been disappointed twice this year and don't want to be disappointed again. So we have been packing and I have kind of kept my mind off of baby making. Hopefully the new house will bring some good luck to our lives. I am thinking this is our chance for something new. Only good things are to come. New house, new doctor, new start.

November 4Th came. It is my oldest nieces 11Th birthday, but its also a date I will never forget.

November 4Th was my first estimated date date. I remember telling my niece that the baby was due on her birthday. She was so thrilled and proud that she was going to share her birthday with her Auntie Sue's baby.When the day came it was a very sad day for me. I took it very hard. I was trying to grasp at the realization that I was supposed to be delivering or getting ready to deliver my first child. My thoughts are all over the place. Why me? Why aren't I big as a house with a beautiful baby belly? Why did God take my two chances of motherhood away from me? I have been a bit depressed lately because of this. I am trying to stay positive but its so hard. My husband just wants his happy wife back. I am trying I really am. It really hurts to see mothers with their babies. Why wasn't I given my chance?

I decided to change hospitals and doctors. I just felt I needed a change. I had two appointments with two doctors. I wanted to make my decision after meeting them both. One doctor was at Newton-Wellesley. His name is Dr. Lerner. I was reading the book Miscarriage: Why it Happens and How Best to Reduce Your Risks--A Doctor's Guide. I noticed the author was from Newton, MA. I decided to see him. I also saw another doctor who is from Winchester Hospital. I heard of him through my boss's wife who is a labor and delivery nurse there. I asked her who she liked and thought was good. She told me she went to Dr. Dixon. His office is in Stoneham, MA.I went to see them both. I heard both their plans for me. I really liked them both but I thought Newton-Wellesley was a little to far so I decided to go with Dr. Dixon. He was so nice and he gave me a plan. He said right when I find out I'm pregnant I am to call him. He will then put me on progesterone right away. He said I will have alot of ultrasounds and I will be given blood test every week to make sure my numbers are rising. I felt good about him. We had a plan and I felt very good about him being my doctor.

We started to try to conceive in February 2008. Lucky for us we got pregnant right away. On a Saturday, March 15, 2008, we went out to celebrate us being pregnant. We went to Bertucci’s at the North Shore Mall. I was so concerned that the soda could not have caffeine. We were so happy. I was going on and on about how Ann Taylor Loft had a maternity section there. I couldn't wait to wear maternity clothes. I couldn't wait to grow a big belly. That night we were staying at my in laws because our rugs in our condo were getting cleaned. Being pregnant I could not risk the smell, chemicals, etc. Before I went to sleep I had Pasquale say good night to our little baby. He did and I went to bed. At about 1 am I woke up to go to the bathroom, I was spotting. I called my husbands name and he came in the bathroom. I was so upset. I said I don't have my baby books here is this normal? Pasquale went on the computer and made printouts that some ladies do have spotting. I called my doctor and I was told to come to the ER. I miscarried at exactly 5 weeks. I was so devastated. All my hopes and dreams flew out the window.

We then waited one cycle and I thankfully got pregnant again.I had an ultrasound at 5 weeks, 4 days. I got to see the heartbeat on the screen. I was so excited. I started to cry and I felt better. This one is different. All will be all right. I took my baby's first picture home with me. I was so proud. I showed my close friends at work. It only looked like a little blob of gum, but that was our baby. I place the picture on my bureau when I got home. I looked at the picture everyday when I was getting ready to go to work.

On a Monday night, June 16, 2008, I came home from teaching a spinning class. I was 11 weeks and 3 days. I went to the bathroom after my shower and I had a spot on the toilet paper. I called the doctor and the covering doctor called me back. He said its probably nothing but why don’t you come in and we can give you an ultrasound. In the car ride there I told Pasquale that I was not going to spin anymore. Maybe I worked out too much. I went to the labor and delivery triage unit and they gave me an ultrasound. The doctor was the nicest man I had ever met. He said I am so sorry, the fetus is about 6 weeks and there is no heartbeat. I was hysterical. How could this be happening again? Why us? Was God really this cruel?I couldn’t control my sadness. It was so overwhelming. They said I could take pills to make the miscarriage happen naturally or get a D & C. I said I wanted another ultrasound the following day on a better machine. I guess I was in denial. The next day I started to bleed. I knew what was happening. I was miscarrying my second child.Wednesday night, June 18th, I started getting bad cramps in my back and stomach. I was bleeding like a period. When I woke the following morning I was really bleeding. My husband was at work. An hour went by and I was hemorrhaging. I called the MGH and they said if it’s a pad an hour you need to come in. Well it was more than a pad an hour. I put two on it leaked through. My mom came up right away. I started to feel faint. I knew I couldn’t make it by car. I was bleeding way too much. We called the ambulance. My husband came home just in time and I was brought it to the nearest hospital because I was bleeding way too much and my blood pressure was very high. In the emergency room my pains were worse. The doctor said, Suzanne its like you are giving birth. I was on pain meds. The bleeding was getting worse. My husband was there and my sister came. My parents were there also. I was totally white. I was so out of it. I just wanted to be somewhere else other than where I was. I didn’t want to be coherent to what was going on. I kept on asking for more meds. Please just make me comatose.The OB/GYN on call came and gave me pills to help it along a little faster. He then said it wasn’t working and I had an emergency D&C. As a result of the operation my lungs filled up with fluid. They said the bottom of my lungs collapsed. When I woke up in the recovery unit I couldn’t breathe. I was wheezing and they heard the fluid in my lungs. So they kept me overnight. They then discovered my blood count dropped to 19. A normal person is in the 39-40’s. I had to have a blood transfusion because of my blood being so low. I passed out in the bathroom and they said you need the transfusion. My blood only rose up to 21,but they did allow me to go home. I was put on iron pills 3 times a day. I couldn't do anything for a while. I got so tired and winded just walking up the stairs. My heart used to beat so fast I felt like it was going to come out of my chest. My doctor said your heart is pumping extra hard because of the lack of blood volume.

I can’t believe this all happened. I am trying to deal with the loss. It’s so hard. Especially thinking all was ok and the baby died at 6 weeks. I feel like such a failure. Every day I was getting stronger, both emotionally and physically. Everyone was so great and supportive. It took about a good couple of weeks to get stronger and feel better physically.I did end up doing all the testing. Everything thankfully came back all ok. My husband’s chromosomes are fine. I had a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), which is an X-ray test that examines the inside of uterus and fallopian tubes and the surrounding area. All looked normal. So there are no reasons why I miscarried twice. Bad luck is what they tell me. Bad luck? What am I playing a card game? This is my life, my body, and my sweet babies I will never get to hold.I am thinking positive that I will be a mother some day. My dreams will come true and I will hold my miracle one day.

People say they are in a better place; there was something wrong with them. The best place for them is in my arms. I will never forget my two little angels.

I often wonder, is our marriage being tested? We have been through so much in our first year of marriage and we have stuck together through it all. My husband has been my rock, my shoulder to cry on. I am so happy that I have him to lean on. He gives me strengh when I just want to give up. He says to me that we will get through this. We will have a baby. I have to believe him.

Hello and welcome to my blog. This is my very first entry. I decided to start a blog because since my wedding there as been so many things that happened to me and my husband.

I will start from the beginning.

My husband and I met online on Match.com almost 3 years ago. After going out with more jerks than I can count on both my hands he emailed me. After emailing a couple of times back and forth I mentioned how I just lost my grandfather 20 days before. He was so sweet and he said how sorry he was and how he understood how I felt. He also was very close to his grandmother. She also lived with his family like my grandparents did. I was very excited that we had so much in common. That night we talked for a couple of hours. We talked about everything. We set up our first date for the following night. It just so happened that our first kiss was on my grandparents anniversary. I like to think my grandfather sent him to me.

I felt so relaxed with him and let him pick me up at my house. We went into Boston and the rest is history. Nine month later we were engaged and eleven month later we were married.

Our wedding was so magical and I have to say was the best day of my life. It went by way to fast. I have never been so happy.

About Me

I am a 41-year-old female who is a wife, daughter, sister, aunt of 7 nieces and 3 nephews, friend, and finally,my proudest role, mother to my precious son, Luca and my daughter Arianna. Here is my story about finding love, dealing with recurrent pregnancy loss, infertility, and IVF. You are welcome to contact me at arlpd@yahoo.com